WEBVTT - Who Invented Macaroni and Cheese?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio,

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<v Speaker 1>Hey brain Stuff, Lauren vogelbam here. Macaroni and cheese may

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<v Speaker 1>well be the ultimate comfort food. A warm bowl of

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<v Speaker 1>starchy pasta and melted cheese has the potential to make

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<v Speaker 1>everything right with the world. So who came up with

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<v Speaker 1>the idea to combine elbow macaroni with creamy cheese to

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<v Speaker 1>create this simple, yet perfectly complimentary concoction. Although noodles trace

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<v Speaker 1>back to ancient China and the surrounding areas circa b c.

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<v Speaker 1>And cheese was developed even earlier in various places where

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<v Speaker 1>humans kept milk producing animals. Mac and cheese itself has

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<v Speaker 1>roots in Italy. An Italian cookbook from the thirteenth century

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<v Speaker 1>called the liberd Coquina or Book of Cooking, includes a

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<v Speaker 1>recipe that historians believe is the first macaroni and cheese recipe.

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<v Speaker 1>This recipe calls for sheet pasta cut into two inch

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<v Speaker 1>or five cimeter squares, cooked in water, and then tossed

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<v Speaker 1>with grated cheese, likely parmesan. If you're thinking that that

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't sound much like the milty mac and cheese we

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<v Speaker 1>know today, you're right, and for that the earliest examples

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<v Speaker 1>maybe from the Swiss Alps. A couple of centuries later.

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<v Speaker 1>The first known recorded recipe for what we would currently

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<v Speaker 1>call macaroni and cheese dates back to seventeen sixty nine.

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<v Speaker 1>It appeared in Elizabeth Raffold's book The Experienced Housewife and

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<v Speaker 1>consisted of cheddar cheese melted into a thick bechamel sauce,

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<v Speaker 1>tossed with noodles and topped with toasted bread crumbs and parmesan.

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<v Speaker 1>But wherever they came from, pasta and cheese dishes grew

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<v Speaker 1>in popularity across Europe. In Colonial America, castrole dishes similar

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<v Speaker 1>to today's mac and cheese were served at New England

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<v Speaker 1>church suppers, where they probably originated from receipts or recipes

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<v Speaker 1>passed along from English relatives. The dish was primarily reserved

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<v Speaker 1>for the upper classes until the Industrial Revolution made both

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<v Speaker 1>pasta and cheese easier to produce and thus cheaper. But

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<v Speaker 1>Thomas Jefferson sometimes gets credit for introducing macaroni and cheese

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<v Speaker 1>to the United States, which he did not, but he

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<v Speaker 1>did help make it popular. He dined on the dish

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<v Speaker 1>during his time in Italy, and he loved it so

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<v Speaker 1>much that he brought back a pasta maker with him

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<v Speaker 1>to the United States and had his enslaved. Black chef

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<v Speaker 1>James Hemmings served the dish at his dinners, including at

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<v Speaker 1>the White House in eighteen o two. Mary Rudolph, who

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<v Speaker 1>took over hostess duties at the White House when Jefferson's

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<v Speaker 1>wife died, included a macaroni recipe with parmesan cheese in

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<v Speaker 1>her eighteen four cookbook The Virginia Housewife. Craft Foods introduced

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<v Speaker 1>the Craft Macaroni and Cheese dinner in seven, at the

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<v Speaker 1>end of the Great Depression. After research during World War

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<v Speaker 1>One created shelf stable pasteurized process cheese. The Craft dinner,

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<v Speaker 1>called the housewife's best Friend and nourishing one pot meal,

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<v Speaker 1>was a fast, filling and inexpensive way to feed a family.

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<v Speaker 1>In that year alone, eight million boxes were sold. World

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<v Speaker 1>War two saw the development of powdered cheese, making craft

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<v Speaker 1>dinners even less expensive and more popular. American cooks making

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<v Speaker 1>their own homemade cheesy pasta often improvise using cheddar, Colby

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<v Speaker 1>or yes, the more affordable process cheese and spices like

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<v Speaker 1>nutmeg and mustard. Today, gourmet versions call for a variety

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<v Speaker 1>of cheeses including grey Air, Smoked Gooda, and Goat, plus

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<v Speaker 1>adens like bacon, tomatoes, shalats, and more. So the answer

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<v Speaker 1>to today's question is that no single cook can really

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<v Speaker 1>lay claim to the original macaroni and cheese recipe, but

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<v Speaker 1>we can all lay claim for our own favorite. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>episode was written by Marie Willsey and produced by Tyler Clain.

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<v Speaker 1>For more on this and lots of other cheesy topics,

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<v Speaker 1>visit how stuff works dot com. Brain Stuff is a

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<v Speaker 1>production of iHeart Radio. Or more podcasts in my heart Radio,

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